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Wildcats Host MCC Champ DeSmet In Football ‘Battle of Unbeatens’
DOMINIC JOHNSON (23) AND CODY DAVIS (45) line up for a play for 6-0 Haqzelwood West in a 49-7 homecoming win last Saturday against Francis Howell Central.
STORY AND PHOTO BY JIM WIENERS
For the second year in a row the Hazelwood West Wildcats begin the football season 6-0, 4-0 in the Suburban North Conference.
Last year West played DeSmet at St. Louis University High and ended up losing their first game of the year, 29-3. West would eventually finished the season 7-3 and shared the Suburban North Conference title with eventual Class Six State Champion Hazelwood Central but was eliminated from state due to a 1-2 record in Class Six, District Four. DeSmet was 8-3 last year and was a Class Six Sectional Qualifier before losing to Fort Zumwalt West.
Saturday at 1 p.m., West puts their unbeaten record on the line at home against 6-0 DeSmet, who just won their third straight Metro Catholic Conference title, going 4-0 this season. It is the final tune-up before districts where the Wildcats face Class Six, District Four and SNC foes Riverview Gardens, McCluer North and Hazelwood Central while DeSmet plays in Class Six, District Five against Francis Howell Central (whom West defeated last Saturday 49-7), Francis Howell North and Francis Howell High. The only common opponent for West and DeSmet was Hazelwood East (DeSmet won 38-0 while West won 61-42).
“It is good to have a game like this going into districts,” said DeSmet head coach Patrick Mahoney last Friday after the Spartans rolled at home over Chaminade, 59-21. “It would be a good barometer where we are at going into districts,” said Hazelwood West head coach Keith Herring, who also said last Saturday, “they respect us, we respect them, hopefully it will be a good game.”
DeSmet offensively is balanced with David Hill scoring 11 touchdowns and Durron Neal scoring 10 while Steve Kaiser has nine touchdown passes. West has 10 touchdowns each from Najal Cheeks and Ryan Ward.
ON THE ROAD, LITTERALLY! McCluer North, McCluer, Riverview Gardens and Trinity Catholic will be traveling over an hour each for games this Friday at 7 p.m. McCluer North (3-3) travels the farthest as the Stars head to Evansville, Ind., North (2-5), McCluer (1-5) heads to Southeast Missouri to play at Farmington (4-2), Riverview Gardens (5-1) heads to Columbia, Mo., for a game against Rock Bridge (3-3) and Trinity (4-2) heads to the Franklin County town of Washington to go against St, Francis Borgia (4-2). In the Suburban North McCluer North is 3-1, McCluer is 0-5 and Riverview is 3-1 while Trinity finishes play in the Archdiocesan Athletic Association with a 4-2 record.
ELSEWHERE — Hazelwood Central will take their 6-0 record, 3-0 in the Suburban North, and a 12-game winning streak dating back to last season, to Pattonville Friday (1-3, 1-5) for a 7 p.m. game. Dating back to the last two games of 2007 the Hawks have won 20 of their last 22 games.
Hazelwood East is home this Saturday for a 1 p.m. game against 1-5 Ritenour, who is playing their final Suburban North game this season. After losing their first four games East (2-2, 2-4) dealt McCluer North their first Suburban North loss and knocked Riverview Gardens from the ranks of the unbeaten.
